Familiar Faces S:0 Ep:2
by Lina Cross
Summary: Dr. Weir enlists the help of Lieutenant Cooper and Daniel Jackson to form relations with the people of Talas. But the meeting goes south. Now, Colonel Sheppard must reign in his sacrificial tendencies and trust his team to figure out a rescue.
1. Chapter 1

**This episode is thanks to a person who reviewed my last story and suggested this plot. Thank you!**

. . .

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you just like coming to see me," Beckett said, taking a firm hold of Lieutenant Cooper's arm.

She winced. "Ah, come on. Who doesn't want to see you?"

"I'd appreciate it more if you just asked to go have lunch instead of dislocating your shoulder," he admonished. "Are you ready? This is going to hurt a wee bit." He gave a deliberate yank and the lieutenant gasped as the appendage popped back into place.

"I didn't dislocate my arm," she said, rubbing her elbow. "Ronon did."

"Oh, aye. Let's pretend you weren't the one egging him on." He tutted maternally, moving to replace a few pieces of equipment. "You need to be careful what you say to the man. If you tell him to do his worst, he'll take ya at your word."

"Thanks, Mom," she teased.

"How did they allow a child like you on the expedition, anyway? Shouldn't you be graduating from high school or something?"

"I am not that young, okay?" she said, accepting the ice pack he handed her.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Your tattoo says otherwise."

She pulled her arm back. "It's a delta. A very mature tattoo. It symbolizes change and, in hieroglyphics, a triangle symbolized the king. Got it when I was eighteen."

"And did you actually know all that when you were eighteen?"

She smiled. "I need to go see Dr. Weir. Thanks for patching me up, Doctor."

"Anytime. But you might want to do your sparring with Teyla until you get full use of that arm back," he warned.

"Will do," she said, heading out of the infirmary and carefully shrugging on her jacket. She walked up to the doorway of Elizabeth's office and knocked on the frame. "Dr. Weir?"

She looked up and motioned her over. "Lieutenant Cooper, come in."

The soldier stood at-ease in front of the desk. "What can I do for you?"

"I was planning on taking a trip to one of the new planets we've been looking at, one called Taras," she said, crossing her arms on the desk in front of her. "Unfortunately, the language is a little out of my grasp. I wanted to know of you were alright with accompanying me to speak with the people there."

"Do you have any sort of record of the language, Doctor?"

"We do, yes. I can have Zelenka pull it out of the database for you."

Cooper thought this over. She hadn't yet had to translate on the fly for the Atlantis expedition, and she'd only done it once before with Dr. Jackson back on Earth. But Elizabeth was nothing if not fair and patient, a fantastic leader, in the soldier's opinion. "You think I can manage this, Doctor?"

Elizabeth smiled slightly. "Well, you won't be without help."

Her brow furrowed. "Doctor?"

"Dr. Weir, the _Daedalus_ has returned," chimed the radio on the desk.

"Come with me, Lieutenant," Elizabeth said, rising and heading for the door. Cooper followed wordlessly, unsure of the scientist's intentions.

They arrived at the east dock of Atlantis, where the Daedalus had already touched down and was unloading. She remembered her own arrival on the ship, how everything seemed so bright and unfamiliar. It hadn't been long before the newness wore off, and she found she missed the slight sensory overload.

"Dr. Jackson!" Elizabeth called with a smile, and Cooper froze. Yep. There he was. Walking away from the ship and looking slightly befuddled.

"Dr. Weir," he said as he returned the smile, if a bit distractedly. "I can't thank you enough for inviting me here. Or, should I say, convincing the SGC to let me come."

"It was my pleasure, Doctor." She gestured to the lieutenant at her side, who had fallen into an attention position. "I believe you remember Lieutenant Cooper from her time at the SGC."

"Yes, yes," he said as though just noticing her, shifting his luggage to shake her hand. "I'm looking forward to working with you again, you seem to have a very firm grasp of languages as a whole."

She wished her heart would stop racing as she accepted the handshake. "That's what I went to college for, sir," she said with a slight smile.

"Yes, well, let's let Dr. Jackson get settled in, and then we'll talk about going off-world," Elizabeth said, motioning for him to walk beside her.

As they turned their backs, Cooper allowed herself a private moment. She put her face in her hands, taking a few deep breaths. This was her idol, the smartest man she'd ever met (right up there with Rodney McKay). He remembered working with her, which meant that to him, she wasn't just another soldier in a unit. She'd often thought, being surrounded by so many researchers, that if things had been different, she herself would have become a scientist, maybe an archeologist like Dr. Jackson. It wasn't that she disliked being part of the navy, or the military at all, because she loved that job, too. The Stargate program had inadvertently offered her a chance to be both.

Composing herself again. she straightened up and followed the two brilliant doctors back into the city


	2. Chapter 2

"So even after all the crap we've been through in this galaxy, you're going to visit a planet without a team for back-up?"

Elizabeth smirked. "You're getting a little full of yourself, John. Just because I'm not taking _you_ doesn't mean I'm not taking a team."

He frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "So who are you taking?"

"Major Lorne has agreed to render his assistance on this visit." She speared a few green-bean type vegetables onto her fork and gestured at the colonel. "And before you say anything, I chose him because you're busy here."

"Oh, what, playing _babysitter_? Come on, Elizabeth," he whined, slumping back in his chair.

She shook her head. He could be downright childish when he wanted to. "Rodney needs you to test his jumpers. If I had put the project on hold any longer, I'm afraid he would have just quit."

"You know he wouldn't do that."

"No, but we'd never hear the end of the threats," she pointed out.

He crossed his arms, his food abandoned, though he stared at it moodily. "Beckett can fly the jumpers," he finally said.

"And Rodney's afraid Beckett will get scared and crash. These power couplings might make the jumpers fly differently, and you have excellent control in uncertain situations."

That did it, as she knew it would. His chest puffed a bit, ego stroked, and he gave a half-shrug. "Well, you know, I _have_ been doing this for a while."

"And I don't think Rodney trusts anyone else to help him with the tests," she added. That sealed it. If Rodney was dependent on him, he was obviously more important here than on some planet where the locals didn't even speak a recognizable language.

"Alright, then. Tell Lorne hello for me." He stood, taking his tray over to the deposit station. "Oh, and Elizabeth?" he said, pausing as he passed her chair. "Don't think you can manipulate me like this every time. You just got lucky."

She tried not to blush. He patted her shoulder and left her to finish her lunch.

. . .

"... achieve... Ascension to... know..."

Cooper shook her head, pointing at the page. "That word, in this sense, is actually 'understand.' They're similar, but I think this way it enforces learning over simply gaining an influx of intelligence."

Daniel looked at her, slightly surprised. "You've obviously had a lot of time with this."

She nodded. "I had to study the Ancients' language before joining Colonel Sheppard's team, and then I've been helping translate the writing in the Faloan city we found. I'm getting pretty comfy with this language."

"So does this look at all familiar to you?" he asked, gesturing to the pages of Tarasian script pulled from Atlantis' databanks.

"Some of it. Since Falo is in the same system, I'm assuming they're sort of like Pegasus' version of Romance languages." She slid a couple pages over, pointing out a few lines. "These words are exactly the same in both languages, but the conjugations vary a little. Sometimes you just really have to know what you're looking for. Which, obviously, you do."

He smiled. "Well, it seems they definitely made a good choice in sending you here."

She could feel her blush reach her ears and put a hand on the side of her face so he wouldn't see. "Thank you, Doctor."

He seemed to realize he was making her embarrassed, and that made him embarrassed. "Ah, well, you know, it's... So, this city is really beautiful."

She let out a breath. He had no idea. "I don't think I'm ever coming home. Except for holidays, maybe."

"You're lucky to be able to live here."

"Trust me, I know exactly how lucky I've been."

He looked at her, frowning slightly. "Right, I heard about your first job here. If it's any consolation... you get used to disasters." He made a face. "Although in hindsight that's no consolation at all."

She snorted. "That's alright, Colonel Sheppard has told me pretty much the same thing."

"Well, that's good." He looked down at the Tarasian pages, rubbing at his face. "Guess we'd better get back to work, then, lest we cause another disaster."

"Yes, sir."


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks later, Elizabeth deemed her team ready to go on an ambassadorial mission. She and the Talasians had been sending written messages back and forth during that time, but she was impatient to be able to talk to them in person. From what she could tell, Talas held much knowledge on the history of the galaxy, having kept written records stored in underground vaults to they wouldn't be destroyed. She was practically itching to get her hands on those documents.

"Everyone ready?" she asked, her back to the Stargate as she faced her team. Sheppard, Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon stood by, ready to see them off.

"Yes, ma'am," Major Lorn said, adjusting his tac vest.

"Alright, let's go meet these Talasians." With a smile, she turned around and walked through the wormhole.

A company of Talasians were there to meet them on the other side. They dressed humbly, in simple clothes of plain colors, but their greeting was warm. One began speaking, opening his arms and smiling at Elizabeth.

"He says we are welcome," Cooper summarized, not trusting herself to a direct translation. Daniel replied with a "thank you" on behalf of Elizabeth, and the man seemed to be pleased with this.

"His name is Carrigan," Daniel said. "He asks that we follow him to his village."

Cooper winced. Maybe she should have listened a little closer.

Elizabeth didn't notice this and smiled. "Tell him to lead the way."

The lieutenant's heart was racing. This was just like in college when she was about to take an exam. At least this time there was someone here to correct her if she was wrong, and they had a whole stack of notes for reference.

They were guided to a decent-sized village, then into an inn. People cleared out of their way, but gathered again to watch the meeting. This seemed to be an exciting event for the Talasians, and Cooper wondered if the only visitors they ever had were Wraith.

But not everyone seemed to be having a good time. There were several people, at least four, in the inn that hid their faces, wouldn't look at the guests. They looked pale and uncomfortable with the entire situation.

Major Lorne and his three Marines were asked to stay outside, as there was little room for them left in the inn and their guns made the people nervous. After making Cooper, Daniel, and Elizabeth promise to call if anything felt off, Lorne walked out the door. This made Cooper nervous, but she chalked it up to being accustomed to having guns at her back. These people were kind and almost simple. They wouldn't cause any harm. Besides, she needed to focus on what we being said and not her own paranoia.

Between herself and Daniel, conversation went fairly smoothly. Only a couple times did they mistranslate something, and Carrigan was a patient man. He would smile, dismiss the mistake, and continue on.

"What's the matter?" Daniel whispered to Cooper as Carrigan paused to speak with his people.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You keep shifting like you're sitting on rocks or something."

She shook her head, but her eyes were once again drawn to a few people in the corner. A sullen villager had called over one of the happier Talasians and began arguing. She wouldn't have thought much of it, except that the angry one kept gesturing in the direction of her small party. Then, at that moment, he caught her looking. He met her eyes and gave the smallest shake of his head.

"I think we should go," she said abruptly, getting to her feet.

Elizabeth looked at her in surprise. "What? Why?"

"We haven't even gotten to negotiations yet," Daniel said, confused.

Carrigan, sensing that his guests were about to go, stood as well, waving his hands and speaking rapidly. His body language made it clear that he didn't want them to go, and he was placating them, reassuring them that everything was fine.

But everything wasn't fine. The man who'd nodded at Cooper was being bodily dragged from the inn.

_"Major, we've got a disturbance over here at the edge of the village,"_ said one of the Marines across the radio.

_"On my way,_" Lorne replied.

Great. The back-up team was being pulled away. Now Elizabeth and Daniel could feel that something wasn't right. "Tell him we really should be going," Elizabeth said, getting to her feet.

As one, a group of Talasians rose and blocked the way to the door.

"What's going on?" Daniel said slowly.

"It was a set-up," Cooper said. "Should have said something at the beginning, I knew something wasn't right." She hit the button on her radio. "Major Lorne, we need-"

One of the villagers knocked her hand away and shoved her into a table, pulling the radio with him.

Then all hell broke loose. The majority of the Talasians were bent on corralling the guests, keeping them in one place, while some of the villagers fought their own people. Cooper and Daniel, both trained in combat, did their best to hold the Talasians off, keeping Elizabeth at their backs, but there were just too many. They were being forced back into a corner, pressed in from all sides by angry, insistent, and even frightened people.

Then the door burst open and Cooper could hear Lorne shouting above the madness. The warning for a flash grenade came out from one of the Marines, and she hit the deck, but not before something pricked her where her neck met her shoulder. As her knees hit the floor and smoke filled the room, she didn't even notice her eyesight blurring until she keeled over, unconscious.


	4. Chapter 4

"Colonel Sheppard, there's an unscheduled off-world activation," called Chuck as the Gate began to open. "Major Lorne's IDC."

Sheppard felt his stomach clench and he immediately headed for the stairs. "Raise the shield."

Lorne stumbled through the Gate, supporting an unconscious Daniel Jackson and followed by the three Marines, one of which was limping and another had an injured arm. No Cooper, and no Elizabeth.

"What happened?" Sheppard snapped as a medical team was called.

"It was a trap," Lorne said bitterly. "I don't know why, but they lured us there to kidnap Dr. Weir, Lieutenant Cooper, and Dr. Jackson. They made a distraction on the other side of the village so we wouldn't be there for back-up. The Talasians were attempting to subdue our people when we got there and then _Marks_ thought it'd be a great idea to throw a flash grenade in a crowded room."

The bleeding Marine stepped back, looking cowed. "I thought it would give us a distraction, sir."

"One hell of a distraction. We barely got Dr. Jackson out, sir," Lorne said, turning back to the colonel. "He'd already been hit with this dart, so I had to drag him through the Gate. I'm assuming the girls were hit with similar darts to keep them subdued."

"Why couldn't you get to them?" Sheppard asked.

"The inn was crowded, sir, and by the time the smoke cleared, there was a wall of people between us and the girls. They'd gone on the attack and we were outnumbered, so we made a break for the Gate." He allowed the medical personnel to take Dr. Jackson from him, guilt plain in his eyes. "We can't take Marks or Coughlin, but if you want to take another team through, I'm-"

"You'll be on it, Major, don't worry," Sheppard said, his voice becoming growly with irritation. "Somebody call Ronon and Teyla in here, I want them ready to go in fifteen minutes or less. Beckett, work on reviving Dr. Jackson, I wanna know exactly what happened and why."

"Oh, aye, Colonel, excellent idea," the doctor muttered, but luckily, only Lorne was able to hear.

"I'm sorry, sir," Lieutenant Marks said, still standing uncomfortably off to the side.

"Go to the infirmary," Lorne said tightly. "I'll deal with you later."

The man had the decency to not look afraid or grovel. He nodded, then went off to join the medical team. Lorne sighed, shaking his head as he followed Sheppard to the control room.

. . .

Cooper's head was pounding and her whole body felt slightly tingly. She opened her eyes and saw only blackness. _Blind?_ she wondered. No. Blind_folded_. And tied to a chair. No tac vest. Wherever she was, it was cold and extremely quiet.

Had everyone else gotten out? The last thing she remembered was the brawl at the inn, then getting shot with a dart. The smoke had made it impossible to see what everyone was doing. For all she knew, she was the only one to get captured. Why was still a mystery.

She heard a groan from her left, proving she wasn't alone. "Dr. Weir?"

"Lieutenant Cooper?" Another groan. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Can't see a damn thing and it's like a freezer in here, but I'm alright. Are you hurt?"

"No, you and Daniel made sure of that."

"Um... is Dr. Jackson... in here?"

"No," she said definitively. "I saw one of the Marines pulling him away before I went out. I think it's safe to assume he's back in Atlantis by now."

Cooper sighed. At least there was that. If Sheppard had gotten word of their capture, she didn't doubt he'd already be launching a rescue mission. But she wasn't about to sit on her hands until that happened.

She needed to see. That was the first thing, and then everything else could follow. Her wrists and waist were tied to the chair, but her legs weren't. Curling in on herself as much as she could, she slowly brought her knees up to her face. If she could ease the blindfold off...

"Lieutenant, what are you doing?" Elizabeth asked, hearing the scuffling.

"Hang on," she grunted, rubbing her face against her knees. The cloth was coming loose. She could see concrete, part of a window-

Sitting curled-up on a chair wasn't the easiest of things, especially if the person had recently been drugged and _especially_ if the person had her arms tied behind her back. She couldn't stop herself from tilting to the side, and then the chair completely tipped over.

"Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked after the disconcertingly loud bang.

"Yeah," she gasped, reeling from knocking her head against the floor. But the blindfold was off, and now she could see.

A concrete room. No more, no less. One door, metal, with a square window. This was going to be fun.


	5. Chapter 5

"Okay, everybody, Lorne says these people are nice and welcoming. Don't take them at face value. You see anybody acting suspicious, you get 'em on their knees and make 'em talk, got it?" Sheppard turned on his heel, facing the wormhole. He took one step forward and halted at the sound of his name.

"Colonel! Wait!"

"What, Rodney?" he asked, turning back around. "You realize we have a very small window of opportunity here, right?"

"I get that, I do, _trust_ me," said the scientist, panting slightly from his run to the Gate room. "But you need to know what you're walking into."

Sheppard looked around, then stepped closer. "What?"

"I took a look at that dart you brought back. It's of Genii make."

Major Lorne stepped up, looking between the two. "I didn't see any Genii, sir."

"And you wouldn't," Sheppard said, scowling. "Alright, everybody. Addition to the plan. Ask about Genii, and if you see anybody in an uncomfortable wool uniform, shoot 'em in the leg."

"What are the Genii doing on Talas?" Teyla asked.

"And why are they kidnapping our people?" Ronon said. "Aren't they supposed to be our allies?"

"No one said they were Laden's men," said the colonel. "He likes Elizabeth, I don't think it's him. But you know who _is_ out there that would do this..."

"Kolya," Ronon growled, his gun audibly switching to kill.

. . .

Dr. Beckett was placing a new tray of medicines into the cooling unit when his newest patient awoke. "Dr. Jackson," he said, approaching the bed. "Easy now, I'd imagine you have quite the headache."

"Yeah... kinda used to that," he said, blinking owlishly around him. "Cooper and Elizabeth, are they...?"

Beckett frowned. "No, I'm afraid they were captured. Colonel Sheppard and Major Lorne are on their way to rescuing them."

"I don't think they're going to find much," he said. "None of them can speak the language. Questioning the locals won't do them any good."

"The colonel has his ways, don't you worry."

Daniel watched him check the monitors for a moment, then hedged into dangerous territory. He knew how doctors could get. "Unless... there was someone who could help."

Beckett gave him a sharp look. "Don't even think about it. There's no telling what's waiting for you on the other side of that Gate-"

"But there is," he insisted. "I know what I'm walking into now. At least, I have a good idea. Better than before." He sighed, seeing Beckett wasn't going to budge. "Look, I told you, they're not going to get very far without basic understanding of the language. And it's not like I'm going to get any sicker."

The doctor pursed his lips, a mental battle waging behind his eyes. "I really don't-"

"Please?" he interrupted. "I've been through worse and lived."

Beckett gave him a long, hard look, then finally nodded. "Fine. We'll get someone to go through the Gate with you and you'll meet up with Colonel Sheppard's team."

"Thank you," he sighed gratefully.

. . .

Elizabeth was hearing scratching again.

The sounds had been going on in clusters for around five minutes now, and she had a good idea of what they might be. "Lieutenant?" she said, but the noise didn't cease. "I'd advise against that."

The scratching stopped and Cooper sighed, catching her breath. "There's a break in the concrete under my wrists. It's raised and jagged. How else do you expect me to break the ropes?"

"What if you cut open a vein?"

She huffed. "Well, it's really cold in here, and this chair is cutting off the circulation in my arm, so in a little while I'm sure it won't do much damage."

Elizabeth shook her head. She'd noticed the military members of the expedition were always just a little too willing to get hurt on active duty. Sheppard had always been the worst offender, and it seemed his lieutenant was picking up on bad habits. "And what if our captors find you've broken loose? They'll just tie you up again."

"I'd like to see them try," she half chuckled, sawing away at the ropes again.

"In this state? By yourself?"

"What do you want me to do, Doctor?" she snapped. "Sit here and wait for something to happen? I'm open to ideas, but currently we're in a ten by eight foot cement cube with no way out. Pardon me if this is the only thing I can do."

Elizabeth was silent for a moment. She'd never heard the soldier snap at anyone before. She had assumed it did happen, but instances were few and far between. While she wasn't offended, she was reminded that they were approaching the situation from two vastly different angles.

"I'm sorry," Cooper said. "That was out of line, I didn't-"

"It's alright," Elizabeth assured her. "I understand. You feel the need to be in action, to solve the problem as fast as possible. That's how you were trained. I admit, sometimes I'm a little slower to act. I know all you want is to get out of here, but I also know Colonel Sheppard is on his way to us. If we're both patient, we can let him do what's necessary."

There was a beat of silence, then, "Well, actually, Doctor, my main motivation for this is to get this stupid chair off my arm. I've almost lost all feeling in it. But - I mean, my sense of duty is there, too, I just-"

"Oh," said the scientist, an embarrassed smile coming to her lips. "Then by all means, Lieutenant, proceed."

"Thank you, Doctor."


	6. Chapter 6

"Major Lorne!"

The soldier turned at his name and frowned. "All due respect, Doctor, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to help," Daniel said, jogging up to the unit. "I figured you might need someone who can translate if you're going to question the people."

Lorne stared at him for a moment. He remembered the times back at SGC when he'd worked with Daniel and the rest of his team. It had been just as trying then, too. But, he had to admit, the archeologist's help was sorely needed in this situation. He looked back at the house behind him. "Well... the colonel's in there with one of the Talasians, but he doesn't seem to be getting anywhere... I think he could use your help."

Daniel nodded. "I had a similar thought. Can I...?"

Lorne nodded at one of the soldiers standing guard and he opened the door to admit Daniel.

Just as he entered, Sheppard slammed his hand into the wall next to a man's head. "Just point!" he roared. "Gimme a direction! Where did they go?"

The man was shaking, stammering something out in his native tongue, which seemed to be having little effect on the colonel except to make him angrier.

"Um, Colonel, if I might make a suggestion?" Daniel said hesitantly. "Maybe if you tried asking him nicely?"

Sheppard shot him a black look. "I'm past nice, Doctor. You wanna have a crack at him, be my guest."

Giving him a wary look, Daniel stepped forward and pulled out his sheaf of notes. Luckily they'd made copies, because the first set had been lost at the inn. Haltingly, and probably with horrible grammar, he asked the Talasian where his friends had been taken. He received only a terrified shake of the head in reply.

"See? That's all I could get out of him," Sheppard said.

Daniel tried again, getting the same response, but this time he noticed the Talasian's eyes flicking to the window. "Could you close those shutters?" he said, grabbing a couple chairs and gesturing for the man to sit. Sheppard did as asked, and now the room was dark, but private. A third time, Daniel asked his question, and for a long moment, he didn't get an answer. Then, hesitantly, quietly, the man started to talk.

"What's he saying?" Sheppard asked immediately, but Daniel held up a hand and waited for him to be finished.

"He says 'they' came. People who knew about the communication between the Talasians and Atlantians. They said if the visitors weren't handed over, the village would be razed to the ground."

Sheppard frowned. "You got all that on the first go?"

"No. But it's a common situation and I filled in the gaps." He shook his head. "I just don't know who 'they' are. He's using a word I don't recognize... Genii?"

The colonel growled. "Yeah, I knew about them. They're not so nice, ready to get what they want at any cost. I'm pretty sure this group is the band of outlaws that the new Genii government has been trying to get under control."

Understanding dawned on the archeologist. "Are those the people that tried to take Atlantis during the superstorm?"

"That's them."

"I heard about them once about a year ago, but I forgot..."

"This is all really great, Doctor, but I just want to know where they are."

Daniel returned to the situation at hand, mentally shaking himself. "Right, right. Um..." He consulted his notes, then asked for the whereabouts of Dr. Weir and Lieutenant Cooper.

He had to hear the reply twice before he understood, and then he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "Oh, no..."

"What? Where are they?"

Daniel shook his head. "He doesn't know. They've already handed the girls over to the Genii. They could be anywhere by now."

Sheppard gritted his teeth, refraining from punching the wall, but only barely. If he was right, and there was little doubt, Elizabeth and Cooper were in the hands of Kolya. If his last stunt with a starving Wraith was anything to go by, they were in for some harsh treatment. "We need to talk to the leader," he said. "Maybe he knows where they took our people."

"There's no reason for him to," Daniel said. "In fact, it's extremely unlikely that the Genii would have threatened these people and then told them exactly where to find the hostages."

"M - Meenay," said the Talasian quietly.

Daniel looked back. "Meenay?" The word wasn't in any of his notes, and he didn't recognize it.

He kept talking, slowly, hesitantly, so Daniel could get every word. The planet. The one the Genii had taken the girls to. Two of the Genii had loudly been discussing it at the inn. He immediately relayed this information back to the colonel. "The Talasians must understand at least some of our language, what with trading and everything," he added. "That must be how he could get the gist of what the Genii were saying."

"No offense, Doc, but I couldn't care less how he figured it out right now," Sheppard said, tapping his radio. "Teyla, do you know of a planet called Meenay?"

_"Yes, Colonel,"_ she said almost immediately._ "But... no one has lived there in years. The people were all killed in an unusually harsh culling."_

"Sounds like the perfect place to set up camp. Get everybody ready, we're heading back to Atlantis to get the address and maybe pick up a strike team."

. . .

There was a sharp gasp from the floor, pulling Elizabeth out of her doze. "Did you cut yourself?" she asked.

"No. Well, yes, several times, but I finally broke the ropes," Cooper said. There was the sound of wood hitting concrete, and then the Lieutenant's relieved, "Oh, sweet Jesus."

Elizabeth grinned slightly. "Is your sense of duty winning out now?"

"Yes, ma'am. Let me just get the rest of these ropes untied, and I'll get you out, too."

She nodded. "Take your time, Lieutenant, I'm not going anywhere."

She could hear Cooper fighting with the ropes around her waist. A few more minutes, and they'd both be relatively free. Then they could work on escaping. However, she thought it was weird that they'd been in this cell for hours and no one had come to check on them. She wanted to know why the Talasians would kidnap them. There hadn't seemed to be much animosity there, and none of the people looked cold-hearted enough to do something like this. Then again, she'd been wrong on that front before.

Just as she heard Cooper get to her feet, the sound of keys jangling alerted her to someone at the door. Metal hinges screeched a warning and booted feet entered the cell.

"Go ahead and untie her," said a deep voice. "I was coming in to do that myself, anyway."

She could almost sense Cooper's hesitation, then felt hands lowering the blindfold. What she saw made her lip curl.

"Hello, Dr. Weir," said the Genii with a slight smile.

"Friend of yours?" Cooper asked, working on the ropes.

"Not even close," Elizabeth said.

The man looked at Cooper, tilting his head. "I was hoping for someone else. You, I do not know."

She shrugged. "Well, as I understand it, I should probably be glad of that. Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Acastus Kolya. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Her mouth opened and she paused in untying her leader. "Kolya. _You're_ the asshole that tried to kill the colonel about a month ago. Well, you don't disappoint, you're about as ugly in person as I'd imagined."

The smile didn't leave his face. In fact, he only seemed amused. Then, unexpectedly, his left hand pulled back and slapped her hard across the face, sending her to the floor. He had a lot of meat in those hands. It was like getting hit with a shovel.

"What do you want from us?" Elizabeth demanded as two cronies by the door snickered.

"Why do you want to know? So you can tell me I won't get it?" He shook his head. "No, Dr. Weir, I'm afraid this time what I want is something you yourself cannot give to me. Your task is done."

"What are you talking about?"

He simply looked at her, failing to answer, then turned away. "I will have someone bring you food in an hour. I can assure you, for the time being, it is perfectly safe."

"We're not gonna be here long," Cooper said, pushing herself off the floor with a mighty glare. "You know how good our people are. When they come, you'll be sorry."

"On the contrary," he said, pausing in the doorway. "That is exactly what I want."

Elizabeth stared at his retreating form, his plan hitting her like a brick wall. "John," she breathed as the door closed with a harsh clang.


	7. Chapter 7

"Did you find them?" McKay asked as the team came back through the wormhole.

"No, but we think we know where they are," Sheppard said. "Search the database for a planet called Meenay. We need the address."

"On it, Colonel," Zelenka said, turning and running up to the control room.

McKay looked back at his friend, noting that Sheppard still looked like he was ready to kill someone. Sometimes that was a good motivation for him. Other times, that was what would get him killed. "Look, they'll be fine," Rodney assured him. "They're both tough, they've seen worse."

"And if he's got another Wraith?" he snapped. "Let's be clear, Rodney, _tough_ has nothing to do with it when your life is getting sucked out through your chest."

"I highly doubt he's going to try the same thing twice," said the scientist. "Especially since last time it was a complete disaster for him."

"Have you gotten any ransom messages?"

He hesitated. Oh. That thought hadn't occurred to him. "No..."

He could almost see something getting crushed inside the colonel. "What does he want?" he said quietly, more to himself than to Rodney.

"I'm sure he's just running behind schedule. Maybe they're being uncooperative and he can't get them in front of a camera."

"Or he's waiting for me to come to him." He said this even more quietly, because that's what this was. Elizabeth and Cooper were bait, luring him to Kolya so the Genii could have his revenge. What a guy.

Rodney frowned, his thoughts going in the same direction. He hadn't thought about _that_, either. "Then you can't go."

"I have to, Rodney, these are our people," he said firmly.

"No, he'll manipulate you into doing whatever he wants, and that means you dying. Send Lorne as team leader instead."

"You think he's going to let everybody live because _I'm_ not there?" he snapped, anger rising. "He'll _kill_ everybody, and the girls will be the first to go! If anybody's going to get out of this, I need to be the one on Meenay."

"But you'll be giving him exactly what he wants. We don't negotiate with terrorists, remember?"

"It's simple, Rodney, my life, or the lives of up to ten other people. It's not a hard decision."

"Are you kidding? This is an extremely hard decision! You're second in command here, we can't just let you walk into his hands!"

"It doesn't matter. I have to go."

Rodney stared at him, in complete disbelief that someone could be so adamant about going to their own death. But this was Sheppard. He was part of the life blood of Atlantis. If he went down, there was no telling what could happen in the long run. "No," he said, surprising himself with the forcefulness of the word.

The colonel was just as surprised. "No?"

"I won't let you," he said, crossing his arms.

"And how exactly are you gonna stop me?"

The scientist looked away, not quite sure of that himself, when he spotted a likely solution. "Ronon," he called, and the Satedan looked up. "Colonel Sheppard is insisting on getting himself killed. Are we gonna let that happen?"

His brow furrowed. "Not a chance. That's why I'm going in with his team."

"No, no, no, you misunderstand," Rodney said with a slight, bitter smile. "He's convinced himself to go in alone."

"Not gonna happen."

"_Yes_, gonna happen," Sheppard said. "I don't have time for this, the more impatient Kolya is, the worse his treatment gets."

Ronon walked over to stand in front of Sheppard, blocking his way to the Gate. "You go with back-up, or you don't go at all."

The colonel's fury was rising. "Stand down, Ronon."

"No."

"There are other options, Colonel," Rodney said.

"We've been over this-"

"Colonel, we've found the address and we're ready to open the wormhole," said Zelenka over the radio.

"Go for it," Sheppard said.

"Don't," said Rodney. "Zelenka, don't open the Gate for anyone unless I give permission." He folded his arms, looking Sheppard in the eye. "We're finding another way, and no one's going anywhere until we do."

Sheppard could shoot him later. Maybe. He wasn't exactly big on getting shot, but if it meant the colonel wouldn't needlessly die, he'd take it. Maybe. If it was somewhere not very painful.

. . .

Cooper kicked the door with her boot, creating a loud bang and accenting it with a few curses.

"Maybe we should try a different approach," Elizabeth suggested. The lieutenant had thrown her chair at the wall and had been using a splintered wedge of the wood to pry the pins out of the door's hinges. As the scientist had expected, it was of little use.

"I'm all ears," Cooper said with irritation.

But she didn't have any ideas. There wasn't much to do in a concrete room that had a door with no handle. "Maybe next time they come to feed us-"

"Overpower the guards?" she finished, sitting back on her heels. "Already thought about that. Even if we take care of them, there's bound to be plenty more in this place. And Kolya likely has a contingency plan in place for that. We'll call that plan B."

Elizabeth sighed, sitting back in her chair. "We can't let John and his team get here. I wish we could let them know not to come."

"He'd come, anyway," Cooper said wearily. "If his friends are in trouble, he'll stop at nothing to make sure they're returned to safety. An admirable yet stupidly reckless trait to have."

Elizabeth gave a wry smile. "I wasn't going to tell Sheppard. I'd have told Rodney."

Cooper thought this over for a moment, then nodded. "Good idea."

"That's why I'm in charge."

The door opened, forcing Cooper to scramble backward out of the way. Kolya stood in the doorway, then pointed at Elizabeth and said, "That one."

Two Genii moved to do his bidding, but Cooper placed herself in their way. "Take me."

"I don't want you," Kolya said calmly.

"At what point did I let on that I cared about what you wanted?" she shot back. "Take me, or don't take either of us."

"Lieutenant, stand down," Elizabeth said, not one to stand by and let someone take her place.

"This is _my_ job, Doctor, let me do it."

"This is very touching, but I, too, do not care," Kolya said. He nodded at one of his men. "Get her out of the way."

The Genii produced a device like a cattle prod and touched it to her shoulder. Such a small thing had unexpectedly vicious impact. Electricity rattled her bones and made her knees buckle before she hit the floor, shaking. The cronies easily sidestepped her and took hold of Elizabeth, escorting her from the cell. She didn't resist, though she desperately wanted to. It would be of no use.

Kolya stared down at Cooper as the three left. "Are all of your soldiers taught to be so unyielding? I hope you've learned your lesson, Lieutenant. For your sake." He stepped out and slammed the door, leaving her alone in the cell.


	8. Chapter 8

Of all the things Rodney hated (and there were a lot), near the top of the list would be pissing Teyla off. It was right under "sharing his brain" and right above "citrus."

"You cannot keep him locked up forever," she said firmly.

"I know, I know, but this is for his own good." He hated those words. He'd seen people say it on plenty of TV shows and known they were full of crap. But... this was necessary. "There are other options."

"Colonel Sheppard does not seem to think so," she argued.

"What, so you're lobbying for him to go on a suicide mission? There are _always_ other options. Take it from a man who actually thinks for a living and doesn't just point his gun at the problem."

"Unscheduled off-world activation!" called Chuck.

"Any IDC?" Rodney asked hopefully.

"No, sir."

He frowned. "Shield up."

The prismacolor barrier rose in front of the wormhole, but there were no signs of anything coming through.

"Incoming transmission!" called another technician. "Unknown sender."

He made a face, debating whether or not to accept it. "Scan it, make sure it's clean, then patch it through."

After a minute or two, the screen in the control room turned on to reveal the nauseatingly familiar face of Ex-commander Kolya. "Colonel Sheppard? If you are receiving this message, please respond."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Colonel Sheppard isn't here right now. What do you want?"

The Genii smirked. "Then go get him, Dr. McKay."

"He's busy." He felt Teyla come up behind him, staring at the screen with a mixture of curiosity and hatred. He thought maybe he had the same expression.

"Very well. Then I will allow you to pass on this message." He stepped back from the camera to allow more of the room to be seen, and this revealed Elizabeth strapped to a chair. It was an achingly familiar scene, although this time sans the starving Wraith.

"What's your game now, Kolya?" Rodney asked. "C4 or an angry Iratus bug to the leader?"

Kolya chuckled. "No, no, although if the C4 is available, I will freely accept. I only want Sheppard. I left a trail for him to follow, but he is taking longer than I'd like and I wanted to give a bit of an... incentive."

"You've gone up against him before and lost. Twice," Rodney reminded him. "Why should now be different?"

"Because, Dr. McKay, I've learned that if I hold Dr. Weir in my possession, Colonel Sheppard is always just a little more accommodating."

"Once again, you _tried_ that already, and he ended up shooting you."

"Rodney's got a point, Kolya," Elizabeth taunted from her chair. Kolya turned around and gave a curt nod to one of his men. The Genii held up a long, thin rod and tapped her, instantly causing her to convulse and cry out in pain. The entire control room stiffened. Rodney was again struck by the surrealness of it, as he had been when watching Sheppard get fed upon by a Wraith. Watching this through the screen, it was like a TV show, scripted, safe. But all of it felt so _wrong_, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I'm a bit out of shooting range this time, Doctor. Tell Sheppard to come alone, one hour, or Dr. Weir is dead. Wait another hour, and the annoying lieutenant in my cell will follow." The screen went blank, leaving the room feeling cold and deflated.

"We cannot do as he asks," Teyla said.

"Of course we can't, that's exactly what I've been trying to prevent," Rodney shot back. "But you've been spending so much time yelling at me for what _I've_ been doing that I doubt you've got any ideas."

She lifted her chin, jaw tightening. "And have you?"

"Well, not _yet_. I'm working on it, just give me a little time."

"We do not have much to begin with."

"I'm well aware of that, thank you. Let's call a meeting in the briefing room. I want Ronon, Lorne, you, Zelenka, and..." He huffed. "I guess we should get Sheppard in there, too."

She gave a short nod. "I will gather them."

"Oh, and, see if you can scrounge up any food. Can't be planning on an empty stomach, can we?"

. . .

Daniel entered the solitary confinement room and found pretty much exactly what he'd expected. Colonel Sheppard was pacing in agitation, ignoring the food on the table and the magazine. It made him think of Jack. If Jack had been the one thrown in solitary confinement, he'd have had his heels kicked up on the table and some snarky comment about the temperature of the room or his long wait. Of course, he would have been fuming on the inside, but it was rare that he let that sort of emotion break through his sarcastic exterior.

"You here to let me out?" Sheppard asked.

Daniel shook his head. "Sorry."

He gave a half shrug. "Didn't think so, anyway."

The archeologist looked at him sympathetically, shoving his hands in his pockets. "They're really doing all they can."

"I know that."

"They're just looking at your plan as a... plan B."

"Yeah? And what's plan A?"

He was quiet, and that was answer enough for the colonel. "We don't have time to debate this. Has there been _any_ kind of ransom yet?"

Daniel shook his head again. "Not so far as I know."

"See? We have no idea what he's doing to them." He resumed his pacing, like a tiger in a cage, and equally as dangerous. Daniel noticed they'd let him keep his sidearm.

He watched him for a moment, forming his words carefully. He'd always been the one that was good at this, better than Jack, obviously, and a little more coherent than Teal'c. Sam had sort of been on his level, if a little better. But Sam wasn't here, and the rest of Sheppard's team was putting together a decent plan. It was his job to cool the steaming colonel. "Look... I don't know this Kolya. I've never dealt with the Genii, and, to be honest, I don't know either of those women as well as I'd like. But from what I've seen, your people seem to know what they're doing. I know Dr. Weir has enough backbone to stand up to Kolya long enough to buy you some time, and Cooper has been through enough to not be scared. Out there, in the control room and everywhere else, people are just as worried about them as you are. I think you need to trust them to do their jobs."

Sheppard had stopped pacing, looking at Daniel with an unreadable expression. "You think I don't trust them?"

"I think you believe you know what's best."

The door opened before the colonel could respond and in walked Teyla, her stance resolute. "I apologize if I am interrupting."

"No. I think we were finished, anyway," Daniel said, looking at Sheppard.

"What's up?" he asked, looking at her with some semblance of his usual calm.

"We received a transmission from Kolya," she said carefully. "He does indeed have Dr. Weir and Lieutenant Cooper, and he is using them as bait. Rodney has called a meeting in an effort to create a plan, and he wishes for you to be there, as well."

"About damn time," he said, going for the door.

"John," she said, moving in front of the door to stop him. "We need you. Alive, and in one piece."

He looked at her, then at Daniel. After a moment, he nodded. "I know. Let's make a plan."


	9. Chapter 9

Cooper was lying on the floor of the cell when Elizabeth returned, which sent a jolt of panic through the scientist's heart. "Lieutenant?" she said warily, approaching the limp form.

"I'm awake, Doctor," she said quietly, her arm over her face.

Elizabeth sat next to her, criss-crossing her legs like a five-year-old. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Define 'alright.'"

She sighed, watching her hands continue to shake long after the electrocution was over. God, she hated Kolya. "All of this is unnecessary," she said bitterly, looking around. "Taking revenge on John for something he himself would have done. He doesn't... understand anyone else."

"Understands Sheppard enough to know he'll do anything for a friend," Cooper put in.

"But he always underestimates him."

The lieutenant sighed, shifting with discomfort. "Look, Doctor, as much as I'd like to discuss Kolya's morals - or lack thereof - all I want to do right now is shoot something and sleep. Preferably in that order."

Elizabeth frowned. At first, the relief that Cooper wasn't unconscious had made her relax, but now she grew worried again. The lieutenant should have been pacing the cell incessantly, coming up with brilliant plans of escape that would never work just to be doing something. Hadn't she risked cutting open a vein for the sake of not sitting still? Elizabeth leaned forward and gently removed Cooper's arm from her face, then her heart sank.

The girl's eyes had dark circles around them and her face was worryingly pale. How could she have gotten so sick in such a short time? Elizabeth looked around, then spotted a tray sitting by the door. "Did they come in and feed you?" she asked, tension mounting.

"Fifteen minutes before you came back."

Elizabeth's breathing was getting faster. "And you didn't think it was odd that they fed you without me?"

"Why would I?" Cooper asked, rubbing a hand over her face.

She shook her head, staring incredulously at the lieutenant. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would it have mattered?" She put her hand back down, taking a deep breath. "Can't do anything about it now. He told us it was safe, it wasn't, he lied. What else is new?"

"But _why_? He needs us alive as bargaining chips."

"If you haven't noticed, Doctor, he didn't poison _you_. I'm his plan B." With what looked like a great effort, she pulled herself up and sat with her back to the wall, eyes drifting closed. "But just to be safe, don't eat any of the food anymore."

Elizabeth put a hand on her mouth, shaking her head repeatedly. "I'm not going to lose you," she said firmly.

"I'm hoping you won't have to. But if you have a chance to escape this place, I'll only slow you down. You take that chance anyway."

"I can't leave you-"

"_Dr. Weir_." The girl had fire in her eyes, her gaze unwavering.

But Elizabeth also had steel in her spine. She wouldn't leave Cooper behind, ever, and there was nothing the lieutenant could do about it. "I am not making that promise," she said, getting to her feet and walking towards the door. "We're both getting out of here. Mark my words."

There was a heavy sigh from behind. "Consider them marked."

. . .

The general consensus on the meeting was this: No one had any good ideas. Hostage situations were always delicate, accounting for the main reason most of the plans wouldn't work. Sheppard was getting more agitated by the minute, but tried to heed Daniel's advice and let his team have a chance.

Rodney was giving some long-winded rebuttal to an idea when the colonel was hit with a stroke of genius.

"Hand me over," he said, still calculating the idea in his mind.

Rodney paused. "I'm sorry, have I still not made this clear enough? We are not-"

"_With_ back-up," Sheppard amended, annoyed.

"How?"

"Cloaked jumper."

"We've discussed this, and if you were paying attention, you'd know that we shot that idea down because you can't shoot with a cloaked jumper and the minute we uncloak, Kolya will go ahead and kill Cooper and Elizabeth _and_ try to shoot us down."

"But what if we wait a little longer," he said, putting his hands on the table. "Wait until the exchange is made. He'll send the girls back, and when that happens, switch the cloak to shield, extend it around Cooper and Elizabeth, and launch the attack."

Rodney stared at him, openmouthed. "That would have to happen in a matter of _seconds_, Sheppard, we can't switch over fast enough-"

"We can with the power couplings. You said it yourself, they cut power usage in half and make commands go through ten times faster."

He looked like he was going to have an aneurysm. "We haven't done nearly enough testing for that!"

"I've flown the jumper, it works. Just think of this as a field test," the colonel said.

"Pardon my interruption," said Teyla, looking between the two. "But if we are to give you to Kolya, you will not be the one piloting the jumper."

"Exactly," Rodney said, pouncing on the argument. "If you can't fly it, who will?"

"You will," Sheppard said.

"I need to switch the cloak to shield. Can't be driving when I do that," he said with a hint of superiority. Or a lot of superiority.

"Then Lorne will fly it." He glanced at the major, frowning slightly. "You're okay with that, right?"

Lorne gave a half shrug with his usual dry amusement. "Would it really matter if I wasn't, sir?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "No, but... it'd make me feel better."

Rodney huffed in irritation. He hated it when no one listened to him. "Look, I know you think you've got all this figured out, but we still haven't done enough tests with the jumper to make sure it will work."

"Rodney, we have twenty minutes before Kolya kills Elizabeth," Sheppard said, leveling a dark stare at the scientist. "Are you gonna get suited up or not?"

He was making a face that was most definitely on the side of 'or not.' They didn't have the time for this, and Sheppard didn't want McKay doing this with only one foot in the door. He leaned across the table, lowering his voice slightly. "Rodney... I need you right now. I don't want to go in there without you."

Rodney frowned, his jaw tightening, but in the end, he nodded. "Fine. Let's all go get ourselves killed, then, right? Why not?"


	10. Chapter 10

Elizabeth's stomach was in so many knots she thought she was going to be sick. Cooper was only getting weaker as time went on. There was nothing she could do, and that was the worst feeling.

"Are you ready, Dr. Weir?" she asked.

_Are you?_ said a voice in her head. "I don't like this," she said honestly. "This is a bad idea."

"Seeing as we didn't manage a plan A, we have to go with plan B. Are you ready?"

"I don't know... You're weak, you can't-"

"I'm strong enough," Cooper said, and there was proof of it in her eyes.

Elizabeth closed her eyes, shaking her head, but finally steeled herself and strode towards the door. "Hey!" she called, banging on the metal. "Hey! Someone come in here! Please!"

She kept it up for several minutes, feeling worse by the second, until finally two Genii guards unlocked the door. "What?" one of them asked flatly.

She pointed at Cooper, who was lying limp on the floor, eyes closed. "Your idiot leader gave her too much of his poison. He can't use her if she's dead."

The guards looked at one another, then moved to check on the second prisoner. The moment their backs were turned, she slipped out the door and pulled it shut, cursing herself for agreeing to this plan. The guards began shouting, but she was off, sneaking down the hallway.

She had no idea how she was getting out of here. All she could do was trust her instincts and guess where the exit might be, all the while avoiding any Genii guards. There weren't many to begin with. Kolya must have been getting fewer and fewer supporters. But this was probably a terrible idea, because the way out would likely have more enemies than anywhere else. Eventually, after hitting a dead-end hallway, she had to face that fact.

She turned to head back into the belly of the beast when there was a loud crashing noise and the ground beneath her shook slightly. _John_, she thought, breaking into a run. But before she could get very far, a hand came out of nowhere and siezed her arm.

"You're not going anywhere," growled a guard, dragging her with him down a different hall.

. . .

Sheppard stepped through Meenay's Stargate, armed but without a radio. He had to make Kolya think he was completely alone, and that also meant he'd just have to trust that there was a jumper behind him.

"Kolya!" he shouted, approaching a large concrete building, which was probably a guard post in its heyday. His heart was in his throat. "Get out here!"

Several Genii standing guard moved to intercept him, but the door opened and Kolya came out, waving a hand. "Colonel Sheppard," he said amiably. "I am glad you could find the time to visit."

"Just hand over the girls and we can end this." He noticed a weapon out of the corner of his eye. Something large that looked like a cannon, no doubt standing ready in case he happened to show up with a jumper. He was more and more glad of his plan every passing second. If it worked.

"And now we've encountered the rub."

He frowned, eyes narrowed. "What _rub_?"

Kolya spread his hands. "You've trained them too well, Sheppard. Not long ago at all, your dear Dr. Weir made her escape, and now we cannot find her."

"And what about Cooper?" His finger was itching to pull the trigger on his P-90, to hell with the other guards.

The Genii shrugged. "Sometimes, plans do not go as we wish them to."

He felt like he'd been hit in the chest with a hammer. Ice spread through his body. No, not Cooper. He'd told her, tried to promise he'd keep her safe. She wasn't afraid of death, not like a lot of people, but this was wrong. Not this way. He was starting to think he had some sort of curse where his lieutenants were concerned.

But Elizabeth, as far as anyone knew, was still alive.

"No deal, Kolya," he called. "You can't trade me for nothing, that's not why I came here."

"Yet you are alone, and there is nothing to stop me."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" He raised his hand and gave the signal. He watched with some amount of satisfaction as the eyes of the soldiers widened, their guns tilting up. Kolya merely laughed and signaled to the man with the cannon. He fired, but by then it was too late.

The shield was up.

_Thank Jesus_, he thought with relief as tendrils of smoke passed harmlessly by. He pulled his radio out and put it back in. "Change of plans. We need to go in there."

_"We already figured, sir,"_ said Major Lorne.

_"Yeah, try _Ronon_ already figured. Do you realize how hard it is to keep him in his seat when he thinks somebody's-"_

"Just land the damn thing and send the team out," Sheppard growled.

"Clever trick, Colonel Sheppard," Kolya called. Even now, he still looked amused. "I will admit, this was unexpected."

Sheppard had no banter with which to reply. He was fuming, burning from within. He felt the jumper land behind him, and he was more than ready to take his team in and kill every last sonofabitch in the facility,

"Lieutenant Cooper is not dead, Colonel."

He froze. "You said-"

"I said my plan didn't go as I'd wished. As it seems neither of us were preparing to make good on our deal, why not make new offers?"

"No!" he snapped. "That's your problem, Kolya, you're all about deals, and I'm done. This ends now."

The area exploded with the sounds of gunfire, but as the Genii were on the wrong side of the shield, they retreated into the building. Two were shot down before they could make it all the way inside.

"McKay, stay with the jumper. Ronon, Teyla, and you three, you're with me. Lorne, take the rest and find Cooper and Elizabeth."

The soldiers entered the building and split up. Ronon took the lead of Sheppard's group, following trails of blood. Some of the Genii had been seriously wounded in the initial attack and were left with little time to cover their tracks.

"I did not like the way Kolya avoided telling us about Lieutenant Cooper," Teyla said uneasily.

"I can't tell if we've just backed him into a corner, or he's actually got something up his sleeve," Sheppard agreed. "We'll just have to see if he's got any wild cards."

Ronon held up a hand then, stopping them and pointing at a doorway. He and two Marines glanced into the room beyond, then looked back and nodded. Sheppard pulled a grenade from his belt, his thumb on the pin when he heard Kolya shout, "I would not try anything, Colonel."

He froze, then leaned out to get a look at the room.

Eight Genii soldiers, Kolya, and one battered Elizabeth. His heart almost stopped. Her hair was a mess, blood trailed from her lower lip, and a black eye was blossoming quickly. She was being held by Kolya himself, her posture showing nothing but rage. He was holding her correctly this time, as a full-on shield so Sheppard couldn't shoot him without hitting her.

But the other soldiers were not so protected.

"I have your precious doctor. Are you willing to make a deal now, Colonel?"

"No," Sheppard replied. "Fire at will. Anyone but Kolya," he told his team.

The eight were down in seconds. The colonel had no more patience for deals and games. He strode into the room, his men surrounding Kolya, who wisely relinquished his hold on Elizabeth.

"John," she breathed, stumbling into his arms.

"I got ya, I got ya," he promised, holding her tightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. Just terrible at escaping," she said with a slght smile. "But there's something-"

"It seems you have won, Colonel Sheppard," Kolya said, on his knees with Ronon's gun pointed at his head.

"Should I kill him now?" asked the Satedan.

The order to go ahead was in the colonel's mouth when he stopped and realized this was too easy. Kolya didn't just give up like this. _The wild card_, he thought with a sinking feeling. "Wait," he told Ronon.

Kolya smiled. "Ah, I was hoping you would figure it out."

"_Where's Cooper_?"

_"Sir, we've found Lieutenant Cooper,"_ said Major Lorne on the radio. _"And... it doesn't look good."_


	11. Chapter 11

Major Lorne crouched on the floor of the cell. The first thing he'd seen upon entrance was one dead Genii with a broken chair leg in his chest, the other unconscious, and he'd been expecting to see Cooper standing in the corner, arms crossed, wondering what the hell had taken them so long.

No dice. She was on the floor, pale as a sheet with bruises on her arms and face. She was holding on, but just barely. As he put a hand on her shoulder, her eyes fluttered open and she made a valiant attempt at a smirk. "Got 'em."

"You sure did, Lieutenant," he said. "Think you can make it out of here?"

"Maybe, if you hurry your ass up."

"You seem to be making it a habit for me to carry you out of danger. I mean, I'm a normal guy, I'm okay with dinner and a movie if you're that interested."

She let out a weak laugh and winced. "Don't flatter yourself, sir."

She was fading, in pain, and he didn't know what to do about it. He didn't know what was wrong, couldn't fix it. They should have brought Beckett.

"You need to hold on, Cooper," he said quietly. "We can go see that movie, if you want. You can tell me about that tattoo on your arm. I'm sure Ronon is curious how many enemies you had to kill to get that."

"It's a delta," she said softly.

"Great. Now you've ruined the surprise."

_"What the hell did you do to her?"_ came Sheppard's voice over the radio. Someone was keeping the link open, allowing everyone to hear the scene transpiring between the two mortal enemies.

. . .

Kolya chuckled, his happiness inversely proportional to Sheppard's wrath. "Insurance," he said with a smile. "The poison I gave her will finish running its course soon. You have minutes, perhaps. Only I know where the antidote is. Now would you like to make a deal?"

Sheppard's jaw was so tight he thought his teeth would break. No one, _no one_, was allowed to kidnap _his_ people, threaten their lives, and then use them like currency. He drew his sidearm, pointing it at Kolya's forehead. "I'm gonna give you one chance, Kolya."

"If you kill me, you will never find the antidote and your precious lieutenant will die."

He wanted to scream and cry and rage and fight, let this frustration explode out of him with some fireworks, but he did none of these. All he could do was glare at Kolya with every single ounce of hatred in his flaming soul. The last thing he wanted to do was give the Genii what he wanted. That would only perpetuate the cycle and more people would get hurt.

But then he realized the last thing, the only thing, he could take away from Kolya.

Himself.

He stepped back, holding the barrel of the gun against his own chin. Sure, Kolya wanted him dead, but not like this. Not on his own terms, not dying a hero, and not without taking payment out of Sheppard's own skin. If he took his own life, Kolya would have none of the revenge he wanted, and that was the only thing in the universe that could scare the commander.

"You don't give up that antidote, I will pull this trigger," he said, his voice low and rough. He didn't want to, especially not in front of his friends like this, but he was banking on Kolya not calling his bluff. "I'll end it myself, and then you'll have _nothing_."

. . .

The team in the cell instantly stiffened. What the hell was Sheppard doing? Lorne knew his CO was impulsive, but hadn't thought he'd ever pull a stunt like this.

"What?" Cooper said in a hushed voice, her breathing speeding up.

"Don't talk-" he tried to say, but in a burst of unexpected energy, she yanked his radio out of his tac vest and put it up to her mouth.

"Colonel, don't do this. Don't." She winced, letting her head fall back on the concrete. Lorne was terrified that she was using up all the strength she had left.

_"This isn't your decision, Lieutenant."_

Her eyes flew open, anger flashing within them. "It's my life you're about to kill yourself over!" She had to stop, resting for a moment after the outburst. Lorne held the radio so she wouldn't have to. "Sir, my life isn't worth more than anyone else's," she said, more quietly, her voice cracking. "If you do this, I _will_ kill you."

_"And if you tell me what to do again, I _will_ have you court marshalled. Lorne, get her off the radio."_

Reluctantly, knowing she'd hate him for it, he pulled the radio away and put it back in his vest. Tears were leaking out the corners of her eyes as she desperately prayed that Sheppard wouldn't do this.

. . .

"I'm gonna count to ten," Sheppard said, his hand surprisingly steady on the trigger. Kolya didn't seem to be buying this, and the only way to prove it was to do it. _Please don't let it come to that._

"One."

"John, don't," Elizabeth said, stepping forward, but with a look from him, she hung back.

"Two."

They all wanted to talk him out of it. Hell, Ronon was glaring daggers at him, but they couldn't say anything. Talking him out of it would be losing the last bargaining chip. It would be trashing their plan B.

"Three."

Kolya was remaining silent, but he was no longer smiling. Apparently, things had gotten a little too dicey, even for him.

"Four."

Irritation was entering his voice. _Talk, dammit!_ Time was running out. Time always seemed to be running out. Any longer, and they might not even get the chance to give Cooper the antidote before it was too late.

"Five."

He cocked the gun. Cocking his gun always told everyone he meant business.

"Six. Don't test me, Kolya, you know I'm a man of my word. Seven."

Teyla was pale, her hand itching to reach out and stop him. But she wouldn't. Not if he told her not to, with good reason. It occurred to him that no one in the room actually knew for sure if he was going to do this.

"Eight. Two more seconds, Kolya, now or never." The gun wasn't even cold anymore.

"Nine."

How would it feel to get shot in the head?

"T-"

"The infirmary, three doors down from her cell," he said in a rush, anger and resentment displayed on his face. "A green bottle labeled 'Nitrix.'"

Sheppard released the breath he'd been holding, the room starting to spin from the force of his relief. "Lorne," he said, his voice cracking embarrassingly.

_"Stackhouse is already on it, sir."_

Elizabeth was at his side, confiscating his sidearm. "If you _ever_ do that to me again-"

"I know," he said wearily as she hugged him tightly. "Trust me, I'm not planning on it."

"Can I kill him now?" Ronon asked impatiently, his gun still pointed at Kolya's head.

"No!" Elizabeth said abruptly, turning around. "Laden has said wants him alive to be tried by his own people. We'll take him prisoner."

Sheppard looked down at her in incredulity. "Seriously? After all that?"

She shrugged helplessly. "We should honor the request, if we want to keep this alliance."

He sighed. "Fine. I'm gonna go check on Cooper. You guys, tie him up and throw him in the jumper. Four guards on him at all times." He left the room, eventually making his way to the cells. There were only two, strengthening his theory that this had only been a guard post. His men were in the first one, Lorne crouched next to a prone figure on the floor and the others standing at a respectful distance. He tried to force his heart to calm down. If they hadn't been in time, Lorne would have said something.

He was right. Cooper was awake, if only just, and the empty antidote bottle was on the floor next to her. He crouched on her other side, smiling as well as he could. "Good to see ya, Lieutenant."

She glared at him, then shoved him so hard he fell backward. "You are the most _stupidly_ reckless person in two galaxies," she said, panting slightly from the strength of her anger.

"We think she's going to be fine, sir," Lorne said, completely deadpan save for the amusement in his eyes.

"Right," Sheppard said, frowning at the lieutenant. "We'll call Beckett over here. He'll get mad at me if we move her, and I've already got enough people that wanna hit me."

"Yes, sir. We'll wait with her."

He patted her on the leg, hoping she wouldn't kick him. "You did good, Cooper. I'll see you back in Atlantis."

. . .

Cooper was sitting on her bed in the infirmary, hooked up to an IV and a few monitors and reading _Robinson Crusoe_, when she received a visitor. She looked up to see Daniel coming towards her, and she closed her book on her finger with a smile. "Dr. Jackson."

He smiled back. "I'm gonna be leaving soon, so I figured I should say goodbye here since you're... indisposed."

She rolled her eyes. "You mean since Mom won't let me out?"

He chuckled. "All things considered, I think you deserve a couple of days' rest. Dr. Weir, too, although I'm having a hard time picturing her doing that."

"So you're telling me you don't want to stick around?" she asked. "I thought you had a good time here."

He gave an actual laugh at that. "Believe me, this doesn't even come close to some of the things I've been through. Not even very long ago, either. I'd love to stay, but the SGC wants me back." He patted her on the shoulder, a certain amount of gravity coming into his eyes. "I just wanted you to know that I consider it an honor to say I worked with you."

She blushed scarlet and looked down at the book in her lap. "I didn't even do anything. I just sat in a cell while Colonel Sheppard did all the heroics."

"Not true," he said. "You translated the Talasian language like a pro. You tried to keep everyone safe when you realized there was danger. And don't think Elizabeth didn't tell anyone what you did on Meenay. You repeatedly stood up for her, made yourself the buffer between her and Kolya. You told her to escape even when it meant you would probably die. That's not nothing, MJ, that's exactly what a soldier has to do."

She still wouldn't look at him. He'd called her MJ.

Like an equal.

"Thank you for coming," she said, finally looking up. "It really means a lot."

He nodded. "I need to be going. I've got a good report to give about the status here in Atlantis."

"Come back any time."

"I will."


End file.
